Conclusion ... besides the obvious, this Kuritaqwase is spectacular ... I have not drawn a conclusion on the Kyusu matching with this sencha, nor whether one is superior to another. However today's brew was really amazing.

Conclusion ... besides the obvious, this Kuritaqwase is spectacular ... I have not drawn a conclusion on the Kyusu matching with this sencha, nor whether one is superior to another. However today's brew was really amazing.

Just had a wonderful session of Tenjo. I know Tenjo is good, but it really hit the spot even though I was grading while brewing, combined with the fact that I have not been sleeping well these past few days, I am exhausted, and there were times I was sure I botched the brewing, but it really turned out well!

I have not fgured out the nuances of these kyusu, but I can tell you this really banged up front ... I know he talks about long aftertastes, etc. I am just not there yet with these pots.

However, I will say this, the Sado red clay reduction seems quite different than this Nosaka. The Sado seems to even things out, maybe prolonging while softening the high points. I do not sense this with the Nosaka however!!! The two different clays, both reduction fired, seem to offer very different results.

I have not fgured out the nuances of these kyusu, but I can tell you this really banged up front ... I know he talks about long aftertastes, etc. I am just not there yet with these pots.

However, I will say this, the Sado red clay reduction seems quite different than this Nosaka. The Sado seems to even things out, maybe prolonging while softening the high points. I do not sense this with the Nosaka however!!! The two different clays, both reduction fired, seem to offer very different results.

But more tasting ... er testing must be done to come to a conclusion.

I see. You wanted to test the Tokoname rf red clay against the Nosaka rf yellow clay. I've been temped to pick up a Nosaka houhin.....but for the time being, my neo-cortex is keeping my limbic brain in check.

AdamMY wrote:Just had a wonderful session of Tenjo. I know Tenjo is good, but it really hit the spot even though I was grading while brewing, combined with the fact that I have not been sleeping well these past few days, I am exhausted, and there were times I was sure I botched the brewing, but it really turned out well!

Tenjo ... that is ... as they say on ebay, "vintage." But a good vintage!

I have not fgured out the nuances of these kyusu, but I can tell you this really banged up front ... I know he talks about long aftertastes, etc. I am just not there yet with these pots.

However, I will say this, the Sado red clay reduction seems quite different than this Nosaka. The Sado seems to even things out, maybe prolonging while softening the high points. I do not sense this with the Nosaka however!!! The two different clays, both reduction fired, seem to offer very different results.

But more tasting ... er testing must be done to come to a conclusion.

I see. You wanted to test the Tokoname rf red clay against the Nosaka rf yellow clay. I've been temped to pick up a Nosaka houhin.....but for the time being, my neo-cortex is keeping my limbic brain in check.

Yes, I am doing comparisons. The two different reductions compared. Then also the oxygen Nosaka compared to both reductions.

The Namagaki (sp?) Nosaka was thrown in on impulse due to hyper limbic activity ... something like that.

So, that made 4 Shimizu Ken Kyusu. Did I mention there was a 5th kyusu in the order which offered a logical extention to these clay brewing experiments?

Chip wrote:
Yes, I am doing comparisons. The two different reductions compared. Then also the oxygen Nosaka compared to both reductions.

The Namagaki (sp?) Nosaka was thrown in on impulse due to hyper limbic activity ... something like that.

So, that made 4 Shimizu Ken Kyusu. Did I mention there was a 5th kyusu in the order which offered a logical extention to these clay brewing experiments?

Oh my, I see you have a severe case of Hojo Fever!

... kind of like Chicken Pox ... the later in life you get them, the worse the case usually is.

Seriously though, I approached this purchase pretty methodically along with a healthy dose of curiousity.

Actually I was always "planning" on selling 1 or 2 of the Kyusu at the conclusion of the experiments if I felt it made sense to do so, and if I felt 1 or 2 of the Kyusu would be a "better fit" for someone else. Or was this just justification for the expanded purchase?

Rose sencha from the awesome sampler that Den's offers to newbies like me. It doesn't taste at all like the sencha fuka-midori from the same sampler, with a super strong rose scent and flavor with a pleasant aftertaste. Slightly astringent, but with no bitterness.

Den's sent me a sample of the rose sencha with my order recently. I don't usually drink these flavored teas. I always feel like it's trying to cover up something. The combo of sencha and rose tasted to me like grapefruit. Glad you enjoyed it though Devoted. I have some left, so I'll give it another try.

GreenwoodStudio wrote:Den's sent me a sample of the rose sencha with my order recently. I don't usually drink these flavored teas. I always feel like it's trying to cover up something. The combo of sencha and rose tasted to me like grapefruit. Glad you enjoyed it though Devoted. I have some left, so I'll give it another try.

Yeah, I hear you there. It was extremely "rose-y, and oh by the way there's some green in there too." Not one that I would have ordered on my own, but I'm glad to have a chance to try it. I ended up brewing it hotter than I meant to (180-190F or so) but I think it worked out pretty well. Let me know what you think.